For a real taste of NYC, a film noir classic
Garwood, N.J.: The March 2 editorial “Gene Hackman’s greatest co-star” lists various Hackman films lensed in the Big Apple, declaring the city a co-star. It cites 10 classic films in which the city helps define the story onscreen. However, “On the Waterfront” was filmed in Hoboken — in God’s country, New Jersey (because only God can afford to live here). Every time “On the Waterfront” is mentioned in the Daily News, you claim it was filmed in NYC, heisting the credit for one of the top 20 films ever made. Seeing the NYC skyline across the river should be a clue.
Not to be pedantic, but it is a cinematic crime that your list of great flicks filmed in NYC failed to list the most apt example. No, not “The Bowery Boys Meet the Monsters,” as Mike Lupica might suggest. I refer to the 1948 classic “The Naked City.” Entirely filmed on the streets among real New Yorkers, not extras, director Jules Dassin caught a moment in time weeks before the way people lived changed forever — kids playing stickball in the streets, parents on front stoops talking with neighbors after dinner, real neighborhoods intermixing and alive. The advent of television hit like an avalanche. Instead of communing on the front stoop, everyone was inside watching “Uncle Miltie” aka Milton Berle.
“The Naked City” is a time capsule of that era, beautifully crafted by a directorial genius. This Saturday night, grab some popcorn, make a black cow (vanilla ice cream in a glass of root beer), settle on the sofa and treat yourself to a now-vanished America and a cracking good yarn. Mike Gordeuk
Ghost tolls
Bronx: I warn everyone who has an E-ZPass to check their bill carefully. I was charged for three trips to the “zone” that none of my vehicles have made. At first look, the charges were billed to my E-ZPass tag. Upon further checking the bill, the same times and charges were associated with my scooter license plate. Neither my car nor my scooter were downtown in the “zone.” Someone must be using a cardboard representation of my plate, or the people who read the cameras got it wrong. E-ZPass is investigating. I live in the Bronx and go up to Westchester or Connecticut to do my shopping. I would rather spend $9 in gas than give the city more of my money to waste. Daniel Correa
Serious illness
Manhattan: As a physician, I am astounded by Voicer Joe Schatzle’s letter regarding measles. Yes, measles may be a relatively benign experience for some. But before the vaccine, there were between 400 and 500 deaths yearly from measles in the U.S.A., mostly caused by infections that had progressed to pneumonia or encephalitis (brain infection). And for many kids, the benign infection lasted for weeks, causing prolonged discomfort for the child. I can not comprehend the MAGA thought process. Marc H. Lavietes
Reversed reforms
Howard Beach: Given what has happened in the seven weeks that Donald Trump has been president, it is understandable why he went bankrupt six times. People fired who had to be rehired, tariffs imposed only to be halted and funds cut from programs that were then reinstated. It has been chaotic, and it certainly doesn’t resemble an intelligent way to deal with waste, fraud and tariffs. The true irony is that anyone other than Trump would be embarrassed by the sloppiness that has taken place by his administration. Barbara Berg
Listen up
Queens Village: I wonder if some of the 77 million-plus who voted for Trump were Republicans who worked for the government but lost their jobs thanks to the chainsaw massacre guy. I’m sure they didn’t want to lose their jobs. As for “professional protesters,” we heard that during Trump’s first four years. But believe me, we Democrats don’t have to be pros, as it’s in our DNA to protest in this country that seems to be taking away our God-given right to freedom of speech. The wimpy Republican lawmakers don’t have the guts or gumption to hear what the rest of the American people are saying. All any human being wants is their two cents to be heard. If we’re not, these politicians may not get reelected next year. And remember, all those executive orders can be rescinded. Joan Silaco
Inviting terror
Ujjain, India: After thanking Pakistan for sending terrorists responsible for the blast in Kabul, Afghanistan when U.S. forces were there as the U.S. faced the music, the Trump administration is set to put in place a broader version of the infamous Muslim ban first issued in Trump’s first stint as president, and it will reportedly include Pakistan as well. It shows how pragmatic Trump can be when dealing with other nations. He may praise them for certain things and denounce them for others. Per highly placed sources in the White House, Trump’s Gaza policy has put U.S. national security in peril, and the likelihood of terror attacks has increased manifold from nationals of Afghanistan and Pakistan. Rahu Chouhan
Emerging leader
Williamsburg, Va.: Sen. Elissa Slotkin is the best the Democrats have. Otherwise, they would never have used her to provide the Democratic rebuttal to Trump’s speech. That said, MSNBC’s Rachel Maddow had a scathing commentary during her entire hour on what Trump is doing wrong that is alienating voters. Trump may very well lose the House and possibly the Senate come the midterms, and as a result, he will become a lame duck president. John Lemandri
Act as one
Manhattan: After comparing the utterly pathetic ineffectiveness of the Democrats’ little signs and silence during Trump’s lie-filled rant the other night, I have to give kudos to the courageous Al Green. Why can’t all Democrats open their mouths as he did and shout their outrage en masse to our national audience in large public venues like the State of the Union speech? The 200-plus party members would not be escorted out as Green was. Instead, Republicans and the general public would actually have to listen to them all, not just to one guy with a cane easily dismissed by MAGA supporters as a kook. My simple suggestion to fellow Democrats: Act boldly as a large group — now. The other side is certainly doing that. Forget decorum and playing nice. Force our citizens to listen as often as possible to documented truths rather than to continual lies and misleading nonsense. Stamos Metzidakis
Primetime performance
Indian Harbour Beach, Fla.: The only thing Trump didn’t do was pause for a commercial. John T. O’Connell
Accountability disparity
Pleasantville, N.Y.: Voicer Jagjit Singh tends to condemn Israel for how Palestinians are being treated in its prisons but hardly brings up how Israeli hostages were treated by Hamas. Some who’ve been returned were malnourished or even dead. Meanwhile, Palestinian prisoners were still alive despite some of the conditions. Also, many of them weren’t random civilians, but were terrorists or happened to be affiliated with them. Any of the Israel Defense Forces soldiers who mistreated those prisoners will be held accountable for their actions, while just about nothing will be done to Hamas for how they treated the hostages, showing who is really being civilized here. Tal Barzilai
Beyond the allowance
Manhattan: If Voicer Ebere Osu disputes that the Zionist occupiers stole Palestine from its indigenous inhabitants, that beef is with the late Israeli Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, né Grün, who I quoted. If Osu believes that all the Zionists “legally immigrated to Palestine,” she might want to compare population increases with Mandatory Palestine’s quota limits. If she thinks a never-implemented proposal, UN Resolution 181 (II), legitimizes Israeli nationhood, she might want to check out a new English lexicon. I acknowledge neglecting to mention the Brits allowing Jordan — nearly four times the territory of Palestine — to proceed to independence, since the circumstances there (Jewish immigration was banned) might be viewed as unnecessarily prejudicial. Michele P. Brown
Profane content
Merced, Calif.: The song “Not Like Us” may be a hit and the song of the year for 2024, but it is controversial because it includes the N-word. That song may be popular with young African-Americans and it is good to have DJs play it, but people have to be careful in requesting and playing that song. John Huerta
